Ampelmännchen

An "Ampelmännchen" is, literally translated, the little man of the pedestrian traffic light. But if you're thinking of thin stick-figures whose heads are not attached to their bodies, you've got the wrong idea. In fact, the "Ampelmännchen" is steeped in history -- he originated in former East German history, where the traffic lights looked different than in the West. After the reunification of Germany, these little men where supposed to be replaced by their thin cousins, widespread in the West, but that raised a lot of protest among former East Germans and there were finally allowed to keep their beloved "Ampelmännchen." Nowadays, he is an icon in Berlin and tourists can pick up t-shirts, pens, postcards and anything else you can think of with the little guy's picture on it.